Ice-vehicle



(No Model.)

J. 13. FI HER ICE VEHIGL'E.

No. 595,380 Patented Dec. 14,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN FRANKLIN FISHER, OF ATCHISON, KANSAS.

ICE-VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,380, dated December 14, 1897.

Application filed April 9, 1897.

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LJOHN FRANKLIN FISHER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Atchison, in the county of Atchison, in the State'of Kansas, have invented'a new and useful Ice-Vehicle, designed for use upon ice and similar surfaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in vehicles designed to be propelled upon ice and similar surfaces; and the object is to provide a machine adapted to support a rider and to be propelled by the feet of the occupant, and which is simple in construction, easily operated, durable in make, and rapid in progression. I accomplish these objects by the constructions and elements illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the propellers detached from its location in the machine. Fig. 3 is a detail enlarged view of the gearing mechanism for operating the propellers.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the steering and saddle-supporting frame, which may be of any suitable construction possessing substantially the members or elements shown in the .drawings, wherein it is illustrated as comprising a steering-tube 1 and a saddle post or tube 2, in which is fitted a stem 3 of a sad? dle in any suitable manner. These tubes 1 and 2 are united by upper and lower bracerods 4 5, which brace-rods may be secured together by means of a stud-brace 6 at the point of their nearest approach to each other, and additional security and rigidity may be provided by means of a brace 7, extending from the lower end of the steering-tube to the lower brace-rod 5, substantially as shown in the drawings. cured in the usual manner a steering-rod 8, on the projecting upper end of which is carried a handle-bar 9, provided with proper handles on its ends, by which the steering-rod is turned on its axis, and on the lower end of the steering-rod is rigidly secured a runner 10, preferably of the form shown in the drawings, whereby the direction of the vehicle is controlled at the desire of the occupant. EX- cept as generally forming a part of my improved device or machine, I make no claim In the steering-tube 1 is se-' Serial Nor 631,382. (No model.)

for this frame, and the construction thereof may be varied in shape and design and the frame still be adapted for the purposes intended.

I now proceed to particularly describe that part of the machine wherein the novelty re sides and to which the invention pertains, as follows:

B B designate duplicate supporting metal frames composed of front standards 11 11 and rear standards 12 12, all made of suitable metal pipings. These standards 11 11 are provided at their lower ends with proper bearing studs or boxes 13 13, wherein is-journaled one end of each propeller, substantially as shown. The standards 12 12 are directed outwardly and rearwardly at an incline, as shown, and have suitable bearings 14 14 at their lower ends,

journals of the propellers. The said frames B B preferably incline inward at their upper ends, forming a pyramidal shape in disposition, substantially as indicated. A circular cap or housing 15 is formed in each of the rear standards, open in the inner side, the caps serving as coverings for the bevel-gears mounted on the lower portion of the actuating-shafts journaled inthe rear standards, and which rotate the propellers and also serve to connect the upper main pieces of these standards and the short lower pieces wherein the bearings 14 14 are secured, and at the top of each of the rear standards is formed a housing 16 16, which shields and covers the bevel-gears on the upper ends of the said shafts. ards are connected by a cross-bar 17, the ends of which arelformed'with sleeves embracing the upper ends of the standards and secured thereto, the cross-bar 17 being connected to the saddle-post by a projecting arm or bar 17 suitably secured to the said saddle-post. To the cross-bar 17 is secured a horizontally- 1 disposed and rearwardly-projeoting frame 18,

in which are carried and journaled the shafts on which are mounted the double bevel-gear and the sprocket which drives the shafts operating the propellers. The top of the frame may also be addition ally braced and strengthened by a forked brace-rod 19, having the ends of the fork secured to the cross-bar 17 and the forward single bar secured to the saddle-post in any well-known manner. The respective standards of the frame are secured at the lower ends by intersecting cross pieces or bars 20 20, and the rear standards are connected to the sprocket and crank bracket by a forked bar 21. At the top of each rear standard are formed guards orhousings 22 22, shielding and covering the bevel-gears on the upper ends of the standards, the guards 22 22 being secured at the upper ends to the frame 18 in any suitable way. In the frame 18 is journaled a shaft 23, on which are rigidly mounted a sprocket-wheel 2i and a doublefaced gear-wheel 25. To the cross-piece 17 is secured an arm 26, reaching downward, and in the free end thereof is journaled an idlersprocket 27, which engages in the drivingchain 28, arranged around the sprocket-Wheel 2-1: and around a driving-sprocket 29 on the crank shaft 30, journaled in the crankbracket 31 and provided with the usual cranka-rms 32 32. In each of the rear standards 12 12 is suitably jonrnaledashaft 33 33, having mounted on the upper ends thereof bevelgears 34. 3%, engaging, respectively, with the double-faced bevel-gear 25, whereby rotation is communicated to the said shafts, and on the lower end portions of said shafts are secured bevel-gears 35 35, which engage with bevel-gears 3o 36, mounted on the shafts of the propellers, at the rear ends thereof, to impart the requisite rotation to the propellers.

C C designate the propellers. These consist of a tubular central sleeve or body 37, through which a shaft 38 is projected and therein secured, the ends of the shaft being journaled in the respective hearings in the ends of the standards, as heretofore mentioned. On the body 37 is secured a plurality of spirally-disposed blades 38, extending the length of the body and tapered at their forward ends, forming conical ends, so that the forward ends of the propellers are free above the surface, substantially as seen in the drawings, in order that in rotation the propellers will advance with a shearing bite on the surface. The blades or ribs of the respective pro-- pellers are arranged in opposite directions to each other, with each to rotate in the direction of the spiral or thread of the propellers to push the machine forward, as indicated by the arrangement and disposition of the actuating mechanism shown in the drawings. The propellers are arranged parallel to each other.

On the saddle-post is adjust-ably supported a saddle s, which may be of any of the approved constructions designed for bicycles and similar vehicles.

The operation of the machine is readily ob served by recourse to the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings; but the mode of operation may be stated as follows: The occupant or rider, being seated on the saddle, applies his feet to the cranks and turns them with a forward rotation,

whereby the requisite rotation through the connecting chain and gears is communicated to the propellers, which eventuates in the progression of the vehicle.

What I claim is 1. In an ice-vehicle, the combination with suitable steering mechanism and a saddlesupporting frame, of oppositely-disposed propellers comprising a shaft, a tubular body on the shaft, and a plurality of spirally-arranged blades extending the length of the body and formed with tapering forward ends,and means to rotate the propellers.

2. In an ice-vehicle, the combination of a suitable supporting frame embracing side frames having front and rear standards of pipe metal, propellers journaled in the lower ends of the standards, bevel-gears on the rear ends of the propellers, shafts journaled and inclosed in the said rear standards, bevelgears on the lower ends of the said shafts to engage with the gears on the propellers, bevelgears on the upper ends of said shafts, a suitably-mounted double-faced bevel-gear to engage with the upper gears on the said shafts, and means substantially as described, to propel the said gears.

3. In an ice-vehicle, the combination with the steering-frame, of the propeller-frame comprising side frames having front and rear hollow standards suitably connected at their upper ends, a supporting-bracket at the top of the frame, a shaft in the bracket, a doublefaced bevel-gear on the shaft, shafts in the rear standards of the side frames, having bevel-gears secured to the respective ends, propellers journaled in the lower ends of the standards, and bevel-gears on the rear ends of the propellers, and means substantially as described for imparting motion to the doublefaced gear, the shafts and gears thereon, and the propellers.

4. The ice-vehicle herein described, comprising a steering and saddle frame, duplicate supporting-frames composed of side frames having front and rear standards, and the said rear standards being hollow, a double-faced bevel gear-wheel supported and journaled in said frames, shafts journaled in the said rear standards of the frame, bevel-gears on the upper ends of said shafts to mesh with the double-faced bevel-gear, bevel-gears on the lower ends of said shafts, propellers journaled in the lower ends of the standards of the frame, said propellers consisting of spirally-arranged blades tapering or conical at their front ends, and bevel-gears at the rear ends of the propellers.

In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

JOHN FRANKLIN FISHER.

Atte'st:

M. S. PETERSON, J. F. STUCKER.

ICS 

